


The Goddess Below

by Cornflower_Corvid



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Abusive Parents, Biphobia, Biphobic/Homophobic Fathers, Canon-Typical Violence, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornflower_Corvid/pseuds/Cornflower_Corvid
Summary: It's been over two years since the war started, and Linhardt can no longer tolerate his father's constant badgering for him to fulfill his duty as heir to the House. So one day he leaves, looking for somewhere that he can be himself - he remembers Garreg Mach, and Abyss, and how fascinating he found the library there, so he heads north, hoping he'll find some friendly faces. What he ends up finding there is more than he ever expected.
Relationships: Linhardt von Hevring/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: 2020 Ultra Rarepair Big Bang





	The Goddess Below

**Author's Note:**

> I wish Linhardt and Yuri had supports, or at the very least more interaction. I think the dynamic between them could be very interesting, with Yuri generally disliking nobles, particularly for the things that very heavily define a typical noble - all things Linhardt is not, despite being a noble himself. They're also both very smart, though in different ways, and I think they have very complimentary strengths and weaknesses. Plus there's the whole rare crest angle that could be explored. I'm sure Linhardt would never sleep again for the chance to be the crest scholar who has studied multiple individuals bearing crests that shouldn't exist.
> 
> LOL
> 
> Written for: Ultra Rarepair Big Bang 2020  
> Art here: <https://twitter.com/damnse1fly/status/1302460769989201922/photo/1>  
> Please check out this wonderful illustration by [@damnse1fly](https://twitter.com/damnse1fly) on Twitter!

Finally.

As it dipped below the horizon, the sun painted the huge, yet still distant castle in pinks and yellows and purples, and Linhardt was sure he’d never seen such a welcome sight. 

It had been weeks since he left Hevring territory. He was beyond fed up with his father’s constant badgering about inheriting the title and finding a wife and not wasting his time with his ‘useless’ research. That man couldn’t possibly fathom that perhaps Linhardt didn’t want to live that sort of life. Maybe it would be nice to be unattached, to live out his days reading books and enjoying sleeping peacefully under sunlit trees and drinking angelica tea. Maybe it would be nice to settle down later, maybe with a wife, or maybe with a husband (which his father of course wouldn’t even acknowledge)... There were a lot of maybes.

Of course there were. There was a war going on. Linhardt didn’t even know if he’d be alive tomorrow, let alone in a few years, with time to get married or continue his research.

But now, maybe he could figure out what he wanted without his father trying to steer him in the direction of his birthright. He stared up at Garreg Mach Monastery, hoping he would find somewhere safe to stay. There was one place in particular he had in mind: Abyss. The library there was wonderful, and he could spend days sitting and reading all those ‘forbidden’ tomes that he hadn’t had time to scour during his school days. Would the Abyssians still be there? Would the Ashen Wolves? He didn’t think Yuri would abandon his people, but with the war, perhaps they had been driven from there…

Linhardt would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

\---------- ---------- ----------

The journey across the craggy land and up to the monastery proper was smooth, but it was getting dark and Linhardt was exhausted. He hoped he would find somewhere to sleep soon, and preferably not in the ground; there were signs that bandits had taken up residence at the monastery, and Linhardt didn’t like his chances fighting a gang of thugs.

With ample care and some keen strategy, he managed to find his way through what seemed to be the bandits’ territory. Linhardt regretted that he had to knock a couple around using wind magic, but that was the safest way for him to get past the men who were patrolling. As he moved further into the monastery there was less and less evidence of the bandits’ presence, which struck him as odd, because this was the best place for them to be. Being closer to the dining hall and the fishing pond would mean a good supply of food and the ability to cook it. Perhaps there was some reason they didn’t want to be near the church? Or maybe there was something else here keeping them away…

Linhardt was heading to check out the state of his old room when suddenly he realized there was someone here; he felt the blade cut through the ambient magic around him just in time to dodge it, summoning a blast of wind and using the momentum from it to move quickly out of the way before launching it towards his assailant. Except, just as quickly as he had been attacked, there was suddenly no one there. 

“Look, I’m not here to hurt anyone, okay? I don’t like killing people, but I won’t hesitate if you give me no other choice,” Linhardt called into the shadows.

There was a chuckle, and Linhardt bristled; he didn’t take too kindly to being laughed at, especially by someone who was posing a legitimate threat. “Linhardt. I didn’t expect to see you here…” the person called out. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Linhardt was too rattled to place it.

“Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?” Linhardt demanded.

Another chuckle, and then. “Easy there, friend.” And then Yuri Leclerc himself was stepping out of the shadows. Of course.

“Yuri!” Linhardt exclaimed, laughing in relief. “Oh, am I ever glad to see you. I really didn't want to have to kill anyone.

Yuri grinned. “What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.” He shifted on his feet, and then continued after a pause. “Knew there was something going on up here when one of my scouts reported that some of the bandits’ patrollers were mysteriously knocked out, so I’m certainly also relieved to know that the cause was friend rather than foe. What are you doing here anyway? I would have guessed you’d be napping somewhere in your cushy manor.”

Linhardt shrugged. He didn’t really want to talk about it right now. “Sometimes things just don’t go the way you think they will.”

“I see,” Yuri responded, his eyebrow raised slightly. Linhardt hadn’t exactly been subtle about evading the question, but it seemed that for now Yuri wasn’t going to pry. Good. “Anyway, if you’re looking for somewhere safe to stay, I’m sure there’s room somewhere in Abyss for you. It’s not safe up here, unfortunately. Not with those bandits running around.”

“I noticed.” Linhardt nodded, following Yuri towards the entrance to the underground town.

Ultimately Linhardt was given a space to sleep in the men’s dormitories. On the way there, Yuri had asked him if he’d be willing to provide healing to his people, and of course, Linhardt said yes. Sure, he wasn’t normally the type to exert energy for others under normal circumstances, but these were anything but; supplies were slim in Abyss with the war, and Linhardt adding to the number of mouths to feed stretched those supplies even thinner. And while he didn’t like the sight of blood, all of the fighting had at least gotten him a bit more used to it… he learned in his early days at the academy that he would exert effort to help someone who was hurt. Seeing a companion bleeding on the ground made his stomach churn in more than one way. So, it was definitely a given that he would help out.

Initially, living in Abyss was rough, unusual, and definitely a bit more than Linhardt would normally tolerate, but he generally got to nap when he wanted, he didn’t have anyone micromanaging him or nagging him about getting married and passing on his crest, and, well, he felt useful. Normally he didn’t care about being useful to someone else, but Yuri was sort of… inspiring, in a way. And Linhardt felt he needed to pay him back for taking him in. He didn’t have to let Linhardt stay here. He could have turned him away, said that Abyss already barely had enough food and supplies for the people who lived there, and leave him to the mercy of the wilds or those bandits, but he didn’t. It was the least Linhardt could do to help out, keep people healthy, make sure minor wounds didn’t get infected… that sort of stuff. No one was making him fight, or dragging him out to get supplies, or anything like that, so it suited him just fine.

Though, each day that passed, Linhardt knew the chances of Yuri asking him why he’d left home were rising. And while he wasn’t exactly hiding the reason… it wasn’t the most comfortable topic.

So he wasn’t surprised when one day, less than a week after he’d arrived (and what a long, tiring week it had been), when he was in the shadow library reading through a very fascinating book, that he found Yuri sitting down across from him at the small table. “Find anything good?”

Linhardt mumbled a response, not realizing he wasn’t talking loud enough for Yuri to hear him. 

“Must be a good book if you’re that engrossed in it.” Yuri leaned across the table a bit more, trying to get a better view of the book, and it was then that Linhardt’s mind became fully disentangled from the words on the yellowed page. 

“Oh. Oh! Yuri. I’m so sorry. I… only half realized you were there…” Linhardt apologized, eyes wide. He shook his head a little to clear his focus, and then glanced between Yuri and the book. “Yes, it’s very fascinating. It’s a book about different salves and tinctures, and the benefits of imbuing them with faith magic. There’s a very simple salve recipe in here that normally is used on sprains and strained muscles, but with a couple hours of meditation and focussing faith magic into the ingredients, that salve can fully heal any sort of muscle injury. Even deep cuts from a weapon.”

Yuri seemed intrigued. “Nifty. I’ve heard of magical ointments and salves but I didn’t realize anyone who can use faith magic could make them. That’s a very useful piece of information.”

Linhardt nodded. “I would be worried about falling asleep if I tried to imbue my magic into something, but I was thinking of trying it anyway. Worst case scenario, I get a good nap.”

“Heh. And you love a good nap, don’t you? Makes me wonder what bothered you enough to leave your comfy life behind. I’m sure you got to nap to your heart’s content.” 

Linhardt felt his stomach drop, and he instinctively tensed up. “I’d really rather not talk about it.”

Yuri leaned in closer, and Linhardt caught a glint of something threatening in his eyes. A chill ran down his spine. “Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of a war. I’ve been wondering why Edelgard didn’t clear Abyss out when her forces took the Monastery; how do I know you aren’t here under her command to gather information?”

Ah. A few things made more sense to Linhardt now. Yuri had refused to let him help with anything outside of making sure the townspeople were healthy. It generally suited Linhardt just fine thiugh it felt odd at the time. But now he realized that allowing him to be involved in anything further could be considered a security risk. 

Brow furrowed, Linhardt sighed. “I want to be upset with you for thinking me a spy, but I suppose I can’t really blame you. So now what? I doubt anything I say is going to convince you that I’m not.” 

Yuri sat back in his chair. “You’re not wrong… and I don’t want to think that you’re a spy either. But I have to keep my eyes open to all the possibilities. And if you’re a threat to the safety of my people, well, I can’t have that. As it stands now, you’ve avoided the question twice. I can’t help but wonder why…”

“Maybe it’s personal? Did you think of that?” Linhardt countered, steeling himself. 

“Of course I have. I’ve thought of plenty of reasons why you would have left home. Why you specifically came here. But I don’t know what’s more likely until you give me something, some reason to think you’ve got a legitimate reason to be here, to have left your comfortable life.” Yuri pushed his chair back then, rising to his feet, and walking to the side of the table, where he leaned over Linhardt. “I know very well the need to keep certain things secret. And if your reason is something that needs to stay between the two of us, then that’s fine. I know how to keep my lips sealed. But I’m taking a huge risk letting you stay here, because if you turn out to be a spy… well, I have to question what the Empire would get out of keeping an eye on Abyss, but maybe they know something I don’t. So, I need you to give me some reason to think that you aren’t a threat.”

Linhardt glared at Yuri as hard as he could muster, and then got up, refusing to let Yuri try to intimidate him by standing over him. Yuri crossed his arms and brought himself to his full height as Linhardt stood, but even then he was still three or four inches shorter. Despite that, his air of viciousness remains.

But Linhardt knew he couldn’t really blame Yuri for pushing the topic. He was right. And Linhardt would strategically make a great infiltrator, simply because he was unassuming and well known for exerting as little energy as possible.So, as quickly as he adopted that glare, he sighed, frowning. Yuri seemed to immediately relax in response, his posture more open. 

“Fine,” Linhardt conceded, “But I want to go somewhere we won’t be heard.”

Yuri nodded. “I had a feeling you might say that. Come with me then.” He turned, heading out into the hallway. 

Linhardt had been planning on returning the book to its shelf, but Yuri left the library so suddenly that he decided to just take it with him. Sure, there was a good chance it would end up lost under his bunk, but eventually it would probably make it back to the library… Which reminded him, there were probably some good books still stashed away in his old room.

They ended up in one of the hallways that had previously been blocked off by debris, which had a single room at the end of the hall. When they stepped inside, Linhardt realized this must be Yuri’s room. It was a relatively small room, smaller than the student’s dorm rooms, but it had room for a bed, a desk, and a small table, so it seemed like it was probably good enough. There wasn’t much decorating the room, just a thin, threadbare rug near the bed, and a vase containing wilted lilies on the top shelf of the desk. 

“You should consider yourself lucky… there are many who wish to visit me in my chambers, but few make it at all, and none as quickly as you have,” Yuri chimed, mirth evident in the lilt of his voice. 

Eyebrow raised, Linhardt made a small noise of confusion, but then it dawned on him what exactly Yuri was implying and he immediately felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Oh, um, I-” he started blathering, but he quickly realized he was being had. “That’s absolutely not funny," he asserted, frowning.

And then Linhardt _really_ thought about what Yuri had said. There had been rumours back in their school days that Yuri was consistently providing stiff competition for Sylvain on flirting, which was partly due to the fact that Yuri wasn’t very picky about _who_ he flirted with. It wasn’t just flirting though, there were plenty of rumours about the sort of debauched things Yuri got up to in Abyss. 

Then… maybe this conversation wouldn’t be so awful. Maybe Yuri would understand, at least somewhat. 

“Normally I would offer you tea, but we’re short on tea pots…” Yuri remarked with a shrug. “It would be nice if we could get into the dining hall, but if any of the bandits spotted us out and about they wouldn’t hesitate to round everyone up and try to take us out.”

Linhardt nodded. “It’s fine. Tea isn’t necessary.” He took the chair closer to the door, as Yuri had gone around to the other side of the table, but he had seemed to be waiting for Linhardt to sit first.

Yuri finally sat, and for a moment there was silence. Linhardt sighed, looking at the table, before he spoke. “I suppose I should start at the beginning.”

“Start wherever you’d like. I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up,” Yuri replied, grinning at Linhardt in a way that gave him a chill. 

Another sigh, and Linhardt looked up, trying to resolve himself. “The first few weeks after I went back home I had to dodge questions about my loyalty to the Empire. As much as I don’t care about the expectations placed upon me because of my status as a noble, I know that when people start questioning your loyalty to your country and its ruler, it’s best to pretend to be fine with situations like this one rather than find yourself in jail for treason. I… understand Edelgard’s goals, and I don’t disagree with her assessment of the state of the Empire. I don’t support the way she’s going about the whole thing. So much blood being spilled…” Linhardt gave the table a mournful look, shaking his head. 

“If it makes you feel any better, I agree. Her reasons for starting the war have merit, but the war itself is too much. It’s already been two and a half years and there’s no end in sight,” Yuri asserted. When Linhardt looked back up, his eyes glinted with something akin to conviction, and in a way, it did make Linhardt feel better. 

“I… appreciate you telling me that. But… I wish that was all it was. I suppose my other issues seem minor in the face of being thrown in jail for treason, but… the war wasn’t constantly there. I could escape it. I couldn’t escape my father’s nagging.” Linhardt chuckled, but it was a dark humour, laced with cynicism. “This is probably going to sound rich to you. As a noble I grew up without having to worry about where my next meal was going to come from, or when I was going to have clean clothes again… it was all handed to me. Having to listen to my father lecture me about being a proper noble, getting married, passing on my crest… it’s all part of the same deal.”

Yuri shook his head. “You’re not entirely wrong, but people should be free to choose their own destinies. Their fates shouldn’t be determined by the circumstances of their birth.”

“Interesting, isn’t it, how Edelgard is aiming to fix the exact problem that I’m having, but I don’t want to fight.” Linhardt sighed. “That’s not all of it, though. My father disapproves of… my preferences. Hah, I’ve thrown it in his face enough that you would think it would have stopped shocking him at some point, but every time I remind him that I might not want to marry a woman, he always pulls the same, exaggerated fit. It almost seems like he’s going to have a heart attack.”

“Ah. Yes… that would upset a parent who is expecting crest-bearing grandchildren… not that I agree. I had the same problem with Rowe. I think it’s part of the reason he didn’t fight harder when I was expelled from the Officer’s Academy,” Yuri responded. 

“Rowe…? Ah, Count Rowe, you were adopted by him, correct?”

Yuri nodded. “Yeah. He turned ratty little street urchin Yuri into a respectable member of society. But even his cane couldn’t stop me from staring at the other boys.”

Linhardt grimaced at the implication in Yuri’s words. “Oh. Yuri… I’m-”

“Heh, don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, it’s ancient history at this point. I’m still the same cock-sucking bastard I was back then, I just know how important it is to say ‘please’ now.” Yuri’s grin combined with his words made a blush bloom on Linhardt’s face again. 

There was a temporary silence until Linhardt looked away, hoping the heat in his face would recede. “So, with a situation like that, I’m sure it’s understandable to you that I left. Or do you still have some doubt about that?”

Yuri shook his head. “No, it makes sense,” he replied, getting up. “And I understand your desire for this conversation to not leave this room. I… think I would also rather it stayed between us.”

Linhardt got up as well, sensing that it was time for him to leave. “My lips are sealed,” he confirmed, smiling. Yuri smiled back, though he seemed hesitant; for a moment this puzzled Linhardt, but he decided it was better to let it go. 

Once their goodbyes were exchanged, Linhardt was quickly out the door, his legs carrying him along the newly-familiar path to the men’s shared living space. It was probably late evening by now, and that conversation had exhausted him, so he was happy to find himself back in his territory, and blessedly alone. The quiet was nice. It let him think. 

He really was tired though. Thinking could wait until tomorrow. He hurriedly got himself ready for bed, and then flopped down onto his bunk, hoping he would be deeply asleep before anyone else came back into the room.

\---------- ---------- ----------

Yuri, on the other hand, did not turn in early.

Linhardt’s story resonated with him, and he wondered if he was letting him off too easily because of his own feelings. It was still possible Linhardt was lying, but his story lined up with the other facts Yuri had. Count Hevring was having… asset issues, to put it lightly, and having a crestless family marry into his through Linhardt would put that family in debt to the Hevrings. Count Hevring would have an unfair amount of leverage over that family, a thought that Yuri loathed. Especially since, while Linhardt knew he was valuable to his father because of his crest, he likely didn’t know about the financial issues his family was having. Sure, a lot of nobles would think it was their duty to help their family thrive, but Linhardt wasn’t like other nobles… a fact that had intrigued Yuri ever since he’d become aware of it.

Linhardt had also never seemed like the type of person who would spy in support of a war, but with the entire continent in such a tenuous state, and the situation in Abyss not looking like it would improve any time soon, Yuri couldn’t risk anything. But at this point, perhaps not utilizing Linhardt’s skills was actually worse than the small - frankly, probably almost non-existent - possibility that he was spying for the Empire.

Realistically it was likely better to use Linhardt’s skills to his advantage - especially since having a dedicated healer might mean they could finally drive those bandits off once and for all. Linhardt was also clearly a somewhat skilled fighter despite his resistance to learning combat, and magic was always a useful weapon, especially against bandits who typically had no way to deal with it. 

And so, Yuri gathered the Wolves and Linhardt the next day, and together they began formulating a plan to make the bandits regret the day they decided to take up residence in the abandoned monastery. Balthus enthusiastically suggested naming Linhardt an honourary member of the Ashen Wolves, which Hapi and Constance agreed to. Linhardt blushed, seeming somewhat embarrassed, which Yuri found incredibly amusing.

To Yuri’s surprise, Linhardt also volunteered to help all four of them improve their skills with faith magic. Starting that evening Hapi, Constance, and Balthus joined him in the shadow library, where, according to the other Wolves, he taught them a different way of looking at faith magic. Yuri was intrigued, but he wanted to wait and see if they noticed anything off about Linhardt that he dared not let slip while Yuri was in the room. It continued to seem like his concerns were unwarranted, so a few days later he finally accepted Linhardt’s invitation to study with him.

When he entered the shadow library on the scheduled evening, Linhardt didn’t seem to be there, which was odd because it was the one place he could reliably be found when he wasn’t checking on the inhabitants of Abyss or sleeping. 

“Hello?” Yuri called, looking around. There were only a couple of tables, and Linhardt wasn’t at either of them. “Linhardt?”

Maybe he’d gone for tea…? But no, there was definitely someone here… Yuri walked further into the room and found Linhardt leaning against one of the bookshelves towards the back of the room, engrossed in some book with a title Yuri couldn’t read; it seemed to be in a different language. The letters that he saw embossed on the spine were curved but flowy-looking. 

“Linhardt?” Yuri called again.

Linhardt startled, almost dropping his book as he looked up at Yuri. “Goddess, is it that time already? I’m sorry Yuri, I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“Good book then?” Yuri asked conversationally, gesturing to the book Linhardt was reading.

Linhardt looked back down at it as if he’d forgotten it existed. “Oh, this? It’s an interesting text, yes, it seems to be an effort to explain how magic works, particularly reason magic, but it posits some interesting theories about faith and reason magic actually having similar sources.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Really. That seems… pretty far fetched, if you ask me.”

Chuckling, Linhardt closed the book and placed it carefully on the shelf by him. “Hmm… well, you might feel differently about it once I’ve shown you a few things.” He was smiling, and for some reason it made Yuri feel a bit tense. 

“Oh? What sort of things?” Yuri settled himself on the floor near Linhardt’s pile of papers and books. He couldn’t help the slight flirty tone that his question took, and he wondered if Linhardt would notice it.

Apparently not, as the next moment Linhardt was beginning to answer Yuri’s question. “Well, what if I told you that faith magic doesn’t need to come from faith in the Goddess?”

That… was not what Yuri was expecting. Well, to be fair, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that. He was confident in his ability to keep his surprise off his face though. “That… certainly isn’t something the church would like people to know…” he replied carefully.

Linhardt rolled his eyes. “The fact that the church thinks it has the right to keep knowledge from people is quite… irksome, to me. No one should have that right.”

Yuri nodded. “I agree that it’s wrong, but that won’t stop Rhea and her followers from smiting down anyone who would get in the way of that.”

Now Linhardt raised an eyebrow, and Yuri wondered if he’d said too much. “Hm… well, either way, this library is evidence of the church’s crimes in that regard,” he affirmed, gesturing to the walls of books around them. Yuri nodded again. “But don’t you wonder how people like us, who mistrust the church, are able to use faith magic?”

“Of course not. You only have to believe in the Goddess to use it.” Yuri was growing more confused by the second by Linhardt’s line of reasoning. Where was he going with this?

“That’s what I thought too. But then one day, after the war started, I asked myself if I really believe in the Goddess,” Linhardt explained. Yuri couldn’t conceal his confusion now; with that revelation, if Linhardt had to ask himself that question, then there was only one possible answer. Linhardt’s smile grew, and he chuckled a bit as Yuri gawked at him. “Shocking, isn’t it? I’m sure you’re piecing together what I’m saying, but don’t get too ahead. I’m not saying I don’t think she exists. Seeing the Professor tear through space to escape that dark void Solon put them in certainly seems to confirm it. And yet, despite being sure that she is real, my faith in her was dwindling. I don’t think that she can save us, and I don’t think that she grants us the ability to heal people, and I don’t think she even hears our prayers. I do believe that at some point, she gave humans some sort of power, perhaps the crests and the heroes relics, but the more I read, the more I question some of the history I’ve been told.”

Yuri nodded. He thought he was starting to see where this was going. “I’ve wondered myself if parts of Fodlan’s history are… fabricated, or twisted, to fit some narrative.”

“As have I. Some parts of the story don’t quite add up, and I’m sure many of the devout believers just hand-wave those discrepancies away, but having even one makes me wonder how much of history has been changed on paper.”

“Alright… I follow you.” Yuri was growing uncomfortable with this conversation, but knowing his doubts were shared by Linhardt was at least… reassuring. He liked to think that somehow, in some way, the Goddess favoured him, that he’d escaped death so many times by her will; she was responsible for his lucky streak. But there were times that he doubted, when he looked at the state of the world, saw all the impoverished families that needed help, and wondered why the Goddess would let them suffer. Was she not a benevolent Goddess after all, but one who simply blessed and cursed her followers on whim? Or perhaps… perhaps she didn’t exist at all. Though as Linhardt had said, the Professor certainly seemed to provide enough evidence to argue that she does. But then it would seem that she doesn’t preside over Fodlan from her star in the sky, doesn’t dole out favour like candy to children, and is perhaps just a very powerful being who was historically thought to be worthy of worship. 

Suddenly the image of a huge dragon conjured itself in his mind, the dragon that everyone saw the day the monastery fell. “Do you remember the dragon that appeared just before the Professor fell into that canyon?” Yuri asked, abruptly snapping out of his own thought and looking up at Linhardt.

“Yeah. The Immaculate One,” Linhardt provided, shrugging. “At least, that’s what it’s apparently called.”

“The Immaculate One... “ Yuri repeated, considering the title. “Do you think that was the Goddess?”

Again Linhardt shrugged. “That seems to have been the general consensus… but I’ve heard rumours that it was Lady Rhea.”

Though he tried, Yuri couldn’t possibly keep the shock off his face. “Lady Rhea? How?”

“I’ve come across references in the books down here to other people who lived in Fodlan a long time ago, probably before Garreg Mach even existed,” Linhardt answered. “They’re usually in the ancient language, or the language of magic, and while I can read the language of magic, those books tend to only have references, no details. But from what I’ve translated of the few books in the ancient language, those other people were very powerful, but also very generous to humans. It seems they shared their knowledge with the ancient humans… but it seems as if that relationship ended when the humans started many bloody wars. I haven’t been able to discern much beyond that, but what if Rhea is actually one of those people, or a descendant of them? They seem to have been very powerful and wise.”

Yuri nodded slowly as he took all this new information in. He’d definitely heard whispers himself of Rhea being more than she seemed to be, and there were certainly many things that he’d seen and experienced over his 23 years that made him question what sort of forces were active in Fodlan. The majority of the time he attributed these things to the Goddess, but perhaps there was another explanation. “This is certainly not the sort of conversation I thought I would be having here,” he noted in amusement.

Linhardt’s cheeks grew a bit pink at that. Oh. Interesting. “Ah, yes, my apologies… I sometimes get lost in my own thoughts and forget my surroundings,” he replied sheepishly.

“Ha, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind delving into the mysteries of our world now and then. And I’m open to having my world views changed, and having new information.” Yuri was suddenly struck by how easy it was to talk to Linhardt. He didn’t feel like he needed to hide all of himself, all of his emotions, when he was talking to him. It was nice, but it was also such a foreign feeling that it made Yuri a bit uneasy.

Chuckling, Linhardt smiled. “Well, perfect then. You should join me sometime when I’m doing research.”

“Oh, well… yes, I could. If I’m not busy. I wouldn’t get in the way?” Yuri asked, both a tad embarrassed and perplexed. Why would Linhardt want him hanging around when he was quietly reading through as many books as possible? 

Linhardt shook his head. “No, not at all. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone to bounce my thoughts off of,” he answered with a smile.

Yuri nodded. That made sense. “Okay, yeah, I’ll have to come pay you a visit sometime.”

“Excellent. I look forward to it.” Linhardt grinned, and suddenly Yuri felt completely disarmed, his smile so bright that it peeled away all of Yuri’s masks, and for a moment he felt completely vulnerable, naked. But it was only an illusion, and just as suddenly his perception snapped back into place, his masks right where he had left them. Linhardt didn’t seem to have noticed, or at least if he did, he didn’t say anything.

“So, assuming all of this is true, where does faith magic come from? Is it just reason magic with a different name?”

Linhardt looked thoughtful for a moment. “No, I think the name is very accurate. But it doesn’t come from faith in the Goddess. It comes from faith in… hm… tangible things. Other people. Yourself. I think mostly yourself, if you have faith in yourself and your own abilities then you can use faith magic, but healing is sort of special. I think you can lack faith in yourself and still heal someone if you have faith in them.”

For a moment Yuri just sat silently, considering Linhardt’s words. “That… does make sense. If you’re drawing the power from inside yourself, then faith in your own abilities would make it easier to do…” he mused thoughtfully.

Nodding, Linhardt stood. “Would you like some practice?”

“Yeah, good idea. Let’s go to the classroom, there’s more space there,” Yuri suggested, getting up as well. Linhardt gathered his papers and books, and closely followed behind Yuri as he headed for the classroom.

\---------- ---------- ----------

It was only a few days later that Linhardt found himself preparing for their battle against the bandits. He was definitely a bit nervous, knowing how much blood he would likely see and how many people could die, but Yuri had urged the Wolves to not kill unnecessarily, which Linhardt appreciated. His role was simply to keep the team alive, which let everyone else focus on fighting instead of trying to split their efforts. Hapi and Constance would be Linhardt’s backup, since their magic was more likely to kill than Balthus’ fists or Yuri’s sword.

On the day of their ambush, they split up,Yuri with Linhardt and Balthus with Hapi, with Constance taking to the air on her pegasus. Yuri's rogues had been scouting for the last two weeks to determine the bandits' patrol times and routes, and though they didn't seem to have any specific timing for their patrols, they did always seem to have the same routes and they always took approximately the same amount of time to stake those routes. This thankfully meant that once the rogues surveyed the bandits a few times today on their patrol, it would generally be easy to figure out where they would be at any given time. All they had to do for the first phase of their attack was knock the patrols unconscious, and because of the careful preparation, it was a cinch. 

Phase two involved a pincer attack on the main camp. Yuri and Hapi initiated the assault with ranged attacks to cripple the bandits nearest to where they hid, with Balthus and Constance backing them up once the bandits realized they were being attacked. Linhardt hid in the shadows near what used to be the marketplace, making sure he kept his attention on everything that was happening so he would know when he needed to heal someone. The bandits didn’t seem to have many archers, and Balthus knocked out the two they did have, so Constance was fairly safe in the air. Hapi stayed on the outskirts of the fray, trying to get in a few hits with weak spells so that she only crippled those who were affected. At this point, Yuri and Balthus were doing the majority of the fighting, and Linhardt found his attention drifting more and more to Yuri; watching him fight was nearly mesmerizing. He almost never stopped moving, and his blade was nearly a blur as it sliced into calves and forearms, careful to never wound fatally. At one point, Linhardt saw him fighting five men at once, and not a single one of them landed a hit. 

When Linhardt caught sight of Balthus again, he realized he’d be watching Yuri for far too long. Balthus had a large gash along one of his arms which seemed to be impeding his ability to fight, and he had an obvious torso wound that was far closer to vital organs than Linhardt was comfortable with. He was only fighting one bandit, so Linhardt slipped closer, hoping he could get over to Balthus to give him some strong contact healing. 

Linhardt got over to Balthus just as he was knocking his opponent out, and when he saw Linhardt his face lit up. “Buddy! Nice of you to come visit. I was hoping some healing was coming my way soon…”

“Sorry, I thought Hapi had you covered,” Linhardt lied sheepishly. He didn’t want Balthus to know that he got distracted watching Yuri fight. “But I’m here now. I didn’t think that my distance healing would do much for your wounds.” He placed his hands gently on Balthus’ side, and with his magic he was able to assess that the wound was thankfully not too deep. He got it healed up fairly well and then turned his focus to Balthus’ arm.

“Get down!” Balthus yelled, and Linhardt was suddenly aware of a stray bandit that had seemingly snuck up on Balthus’ wounded side. His axe was raised, and Balthus blocked with the gauntlet on his unwounded arm. It was with dread that Linhardt noticed that this bandit wore a huge gold chain and was wielding a silver axe, meaning he was probably the leader of the group.

\---------- ---------- ----------

Something didn’t seem right. All of the bandits Yuri had taken out were chumps, brute strength their only advantage. They had no skill and low quality weapons.

Yuri whirled around when he heard a yell, and in the same instant he realized it was Balthus, he took in the situation, realized Balthus was badly wounded and Linhardt was there trying to heal him, and then practically flew over, his crest pumping excessive amounts of adrenaline into his system. He quickly noticed that this bandit was better equipped than the rest and deduced that _he_ must be the leader. His axe was poised to cleave into Linhardt’s arm, but in a flash Yuri managed to parry the blow away. It was too bad that his parry left him open to a rebound swing from the bandit. He felt the axe tear into his back, the blow heavy enough to knock him away a few feet and straight to the ground, the world going black as his head knocked against the stone below.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Look forward to chapter two in the next day or two! I also may write more with these two, I really want to explore their dynamic.


End file.
